BOOK REVIEWS FROM A CURIOUS MIND: I read a lot. Books and the data/stories contained within them are my oldest friends. Working at the University of Houston allows me to use the M.D. Anderson Library. Awesome! My wife mentioned that I should write up short summaries/observations on the books I've been reading, since people might be interested in reading them, so I did. Comments are welcome.

RXTT's Top 10's

Monday, April 17, 2017

The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge

The
Usefulness of Useless Knowledge – Abraham Flexner (1939)

One of the most disheartening
developments in education in my lifetime has been the emphasis placed on
teaching students only the knowledge and subjects that have practical, or “useful,”
content.Every year more and more people
want their kids to study only the fields in which a great salary is
guaranteed.Learning for learning’s sake
is frowned upon by helicopter parents who push their kids to fit a
predetermined mold.This is a huge
disservice to the students.One of the
greatest advantages of a University education used to be that you learned how
to educate yourself for the rest of your life.This was what a well-rounded education was to provide.Critical thinking skills, deep curiosity
about the world, a variety of experience and wisdom from a wide field of human intellectual
endeavors, and the ability to be a well-rounded adult were all worthy goals in
and of themselves, without regard to future employ-ability or salary.It is quite eye-opening to read Abraham
Flexner’s essay from a 1939 issue of Harpers Magazine.He was confronted by the same problem 80
years ago.

I have never read a better argument
for letting students, artists, researchers, and scientists explore anything and
everything that may cross their minds, regardless of whether it applies to
their respective titles or fields of study.Mr. Flexner explores the many fields deemed “useless” and finds that in
each and every case, these useless ideas or curiosities either contribute
greatly to the well-being of humanity as a whole (as in the case of the arts,
music, and literature) or they end up adding another piece of knowledge to the
vast amount collectively gathered by humanity, to be filed away until some
other curious person finds it and uses that knowledge to create a new
mechanism, or technology, or even just a new use for something already
existing.There is no way to determine
what field of study will lead to something “useful,” which is the whole reason
that nothing a human is curious about is actually “useless.”

Mr. Flexner provides examples from
various fields, each a seemingly unimportant exploration by a human mind that
turns out to shine a light on a previously unknown corner of knowledge.He cites the then very current issues arising
from totalitarian fascist states in Germany and Italy curtailing “frivolous
sciences” and “useless” explorations.This led to many of the most genius humans on the planet to make their
way to the United States, where they could join places like the Institute for
Advanced Study at Princeton.This institute
was solely dedicated to the search for knowledge and had such a minimal
infrastructure that any one person could cooperate and learn from any other,
allowing geniuses in science and the humanities to explore wherever their curiosity
led them.Learning itself is what was
cultivated.

I have always been intellectually
curious about nearly everything in the world around me.There are many people who think that
specialization is the true mark of genius or dedication, or intellectual rigor.These people, while they may achieve much,
are missing out on the whole picture.I
personally am an artist.I paint and
draw and I love to study art.I am also
a hardcore music fanatic.These two
fields are not mutually exclusive to most people.I am also a deep, deep lover of all things
scientific, especially the field and history of Physics.In this case, countless people cannot fathom
that a human can be artistically inclined and scientifically inclined and enjoy
both equally.I feel that, beyond the
pure joy of learning itself, my scientific knowledge informs my art, and my art
knowledge informs my scientific curiosities.I am also a hardcore sports fanatic, especially my beloved American
Football and all my Houston, Texas sports teams.I have been ridiculed by sports people who do
not think I am a “true fan” because art is not for jocks, and I have been
ridiculed by the arts crowds for showing up to a gallery wearing a Texans
jersey.These close-minded fools will
never understand, and they will never learn, until they decide to explore what
intrigues them without the fear of ridicule by the people in your chosen peer
group.If only this great essay by Mr.
Abraham Flexner was required reading in the schools. Share it with someone that has been stifled in their curiosity. It may change a life.

2 comments:

I agree that knowledge should be assimilated and considered as a whole in order to be properly integrated in human lives. Nevertheless, people do branding or identification thing for an objective else they might all end up being mystics of some sort. Though there may not be any useless knowledge, but it is the very selfishness of the person devoted to a particular subject that makes that field stand out among others, and grow in a unique style. Their boundaries help them to breathe then so be it.

That is indeed true. I did not intend to denigrate those that have the hyper-focus and dedication to devote their whole being to one specific topic. Those people are just as valuable as the polymaths. All types are needed for humanity to flourish as it has. Thanks for reading!

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